That's good, because for many other medias the most memorable and most written about are the ones that leave the biggest piles of cash (often in the form of luxury holidays to car launches, constant car supply, massive amounts of other content for publishing like tech articles, etc., and did I already mention constant car supply? Corruption makes most of the rest of the car media world go around... **cough** Lieberman **cough** !).
I think the WORLD could make the argument that the STIG shunting the car, actually gave some serious PROMINENCE to the brand before properly breaking out. Like when Stone Cold really made the Big Shows career pop. 7 stone cold stunners and people were wondering about the big guy who ate em all.
Schumacher stunned the world when he stepped out of the FXX and pulled the helmet off. Ben is a hell of a guy for cementing that relentless reputation 👍
I can honestly say I watch that lap at least once a month. He pushed that fxx harder than anyone could. And that vehicle remains my favorite overall ferrari ever.
The Koenigsegg episode has always been the most memorable one for me. The fact they took the criticism and built the car even better was an awesome outcome.
Some say, "He was the most iconic driver on TV and he didnt even have a voice." All we know is we are happy Mr. Ben Collins is sharing stories and we wish him the best in life.
@Landon-si5xc Lol, this is so completely out of place as a reply to this persons comment. Why don't you go to an athiest or a christian channel or something instead? Have you never watched top gear? Do you not care? If not, why are you even here? Honestly.
That CCX crashing and trying to eat a tire was just about the best thing that could have happened on that day. No one remembers the lap time but everyone remembers the crash and it is now part of Koenigsegg lore
Its funny because he was the only main presenter that didn't have constant word vomit spewing from his mouth. I loved his appearances and especially his cousins. Having one person who said nothing and just drove is what secured his position on the show, it was so important to have someone other than the 3 doing the hot laps
That is because it was a rigged car, before that lap the Stig drove an imported GTR around the track privately which had a tune and exhaust and a couple of other mods, did a 1:26 laptime was on the GTR forum at the time. So when the "special" GTR nissan brought with them did 1:19 it was really shocking as it was obviously a "ringer" car which was way faster than GTR's you could buy. Nissan did the same thing with the early ring records they were not even slightly stock cars, there were videos taken during the testing and the GTR was really loud as it had a racing exhaust on it and a bunch of other mods as they would not let anyone near it to look at it when doing the testing was all secret, its why Porsche called them out for them to get stock cars and do some laps to compare them unsurprisingly nissan shit themselves and would not agree to the race. They also had telemetry that showed a "stock" GTR did 180mph down the back straight of the ring, when people brought real stock road going GTR's they could not get much better than 160mph. I would guess the GTR that did the ring laptimes has 700bhp at least to pull that 180mph down the straight, it was faster than the much more aerodynamic Corvette ZR1 of the time which is not possible without a huge power increase. Motor trend also did something similar posting really impressive 0-60mph for the GTR when it first came out on later to apologize that they were using a "special" GTR that ended up being crushed as it was not road worthy, had 600bhp+ they tried to play it off like they did not know any better but it was just BS, sad thing is journos know they do this but if they complain they don't get to test cars so they just lie instead.
@@ATomRileyA Stop making shit up, nisssan literally released the full video of the car doing the lap (and its on youtube even now ffs) where performance can easily be compared to a stock car AND showed the tires used even. If there was a hint of cheating they would have been caught out decades ago. You have no actual evidence for your claims and your claims are complete bullshit
I've been fortunate to meet Ben Collins at Goodwood Festival of Speed and he is an exceptional guy, very humble, incredibly knowledgeable and an all round cool dude! I'm sure he has enough stories to keep us VinWiki fans hooked!
So many great laps, but seeing that SLR go around gave/gives me goosebumps! What makes it even better is finding out how close the real car is to how it has been portrayed through racing games. It will often be one of the fastest cars available, but actually being able to wrangle the lap times down is like playing Through the Fire and Flames on Expert. What a mad mad car!!
this is exactly why racing drivers make better reviewers than journalists, they know exactly what they are talking about. That's why my 3 most trusted sources on cars are Ben Collins, Tiff Needel, and fanchracing
Tiff needle is the gold standard for me. That’s also one reason why I trust evo’s reviews almost exclusively - many of their writers race or used to race at a decent level, even if they’re not pro (Henry Catchpole, Jethro Bovington, Richard Meaden, John Barker, Steve Sutcliffe, previously Chris Harris).
@@ASJC27 exactly exactly exactly. only car media worth taking seriously. except chris harris he's off his rocker. and not to forget, best of them all, the big man Harry Metcalfe!
It's been said, and I'll say it again. I could listen to stories from Ben all day long. With that kind of reputation, and the things he has seen and done.... I'm sure he could go on for days, and I would listen to every minute.
Thankyou Ed - so much fun hanging - so the hot laps continue and been getting my hands on ever faster machinery! th-cam.com/video/DnC1SuhmJU8/w-d-xo.html
I wonder if that Mercedes had the same braking system as an 05 E55 AMG. The brake by wire system that would eventually fail and leave you with no power brakes, only manual. That braking system provided 0 feedback.
Yes it’s interesting to get his view on an early Koenigsegg, and it is amazing what that 1 man start up company has done in less than 20 years, I think what at least 2x having fastest car in the world, they even make there own rims now, most tiny companies buy parts/engine from others. Cool to hear the owner even flew in and wanted to find out what really happened. That’s prolly why he’s one of top in world. Imagine the stories the Stig has after testing top cars for over 20 years!
The hype for the white Veyron to hit the track in stiggys hands was real. I was so pumped to download the episode off of limewire that Monday afternoon after work.
Imagine the lap time improvements for some of the cars tested in the early 2000s if they put modern tires on them. What would the new time be for the Carrera GT, MC12, Zonda, SLR...
It's insane how far koenigsegg came in just this time frame. From a sorta scrappy, back of the shed, but still really fast, prototypes, to the absolute ridiculous marvels of perfected engineering they put out today
I’ve watched TG with my brother throughout it’s entirety. Kinda got away from it but also have watched all of the GT. This is the first time I’ve seen the real stig talk about his real drives, lol. This guy is a legend forever. My brother and have done amateur road racing all over and now own and run a high end automotive customization shop. And I give a lot of credit to where we are to TG. Cheers.
There will be a particular power to weigh ratio where it is just golden and will do what's needed hold where it has to and just be epic. Surely someone has worked that out
Sucks that the SLR wasnt put round by the Stig. It speaks to how unconfident in it Mercedes were. We know the brakes werent a great feel, but to not let Stig take it round speaks volumes.
If the Stig can let it all hang out with the XJR, he could have easily done the same in the SLR without breaking a sweat. Mercedes really shot themselves in the foot as the SLR's reputation never recovered
Ok so it's confirmed. The Stig was masked because sometimes the manufacturer wanted their own driver. I honestly thought most manufacturers would want this, but it sounds like this guy got to drive most of them.
Something i figured but didn't know, maintenance and sustainable extreme use. I prefer gravel or dirt,i like a little to play with and $$ for gas. Nice video, Thanks
I dont think ive experienced anything quite as fun as hitting stuff in a car intentionaly. Or just intentionaly destroying cars in general. Whistlin is living the life 👌
Judging by what he's saying, I see confirmation in my thought modern Bugattis are sort of "one-lap-wonders", they can do ok for one lap, but all of that weight and power will wear off quickly fuel and tyres. Also, all-wheel-drive gives them quite (a lot of?) an help... I wouldn't compare them with other super-/hypercars, they're more like pure "halo-projects" the Volkswagen/Audi Group use to enhance their credentials - But I'm not particularly attracted by that kind of conception. I prefer the "Old-School", lightweight experience.
"When the car is twitching at the steering wheel, or beeping at you, or interfereing with the braking--that can all go and fish." - Ed Bolian. Maybe self driving cars need a "Stig Mode."
THIS IS THE NEW KOENIGSEGG WITH THE TOP GEAR WING : 1:17.6 A NEW LAP RECORD, ISNT THAT BRILLIANT? IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT WERE NOT JUST TESTING CARS ANYMORE ON THIS SHOW, WERE DESIGNING THEM. AND ON THAT BOMBSHELL...
The Koenigsegg was memorable for all of us!
Love u Ed!!! Your my mentor hope to do it like you one day just no fake knees for me tho 😅!!!
The Koenigsegg eating a tire was the background on my computer years ago!
That's good, because for many other medias the most memorable and most written about are the ones that leave the biggest piles of cash (often in the form of luxury holidays to car launches, constant car supply, massive amounts of other content for publishing like tech articles, etc., and did I already mention constant car supply? Corruption makes most of the rest of the car media world go around... **cough** Lieberman **cough** !).
“He’s eaten the tyre wall”. Paraphrasing clarkson
I think the WORLD could make the argument that the STIG shunting the car, actually gave some serious PROMINENCE to the brand before properly breaking out.
Like when Stone Cold really made the Big Shows career pop. 7 stone cold stunners and people were wondering about the big guy who ate em all.
Schumacher stunned the world when he stepped out of the FXX and pulled the helmet off. Ben is a hell of a guy for cementing that relentless reputation 👍
Fun trivia- USAF housing for Kerpen/Norevnich AB is in Kerpen, just down from the Edeka grocery store. Schumacher's hometown
I can honestly say I watch that lap at least once a month. He pushed that fxx harder than anyone could. And that vehicle remains my favorite overall ferrari ever.
And now I'm sad thinking of shum . Givin his situation. Cheers from usa
Whats interesting was many of the forums had sorta guessed who the Stig was by that point. I remember being on one of those.
Is there a name for that video?
The Koenigsegg episode has always been the most memorable one for me. The fact they took the criticism and built the car even better was an awesome outcome.
@Landon-si5xclmao.. what's wrong with you?
@@LeroyJohn its a shitty bot
@@LeroyJohnbot
@Landon-si5xcAllah is a pedo.
Chill brah. Have a beer.
Some say, "He was the most iconic driver on TV and he didnt even have a voice." All we know is we are happy Mr. Ben Collins is sharing stories and we wish him the best in life.
@Landon-si5xc Lol, this is so completely out of place as a reply to this persons comment. Why don't you go to an athiest or a christian channel or something instead? Have you never watched top gear? Do you not care? If not, why are you even here? Honestly.
@@russellfrancis813 just report it for spam
@Landon-si5xcStop spreading misinformation about "religion"
That CCX crashing and trying to eat a tire was just about the best thing that could have happened on that day. No one remembers the lap time but everyone remembers the crash and it is now part of Koenigsegg lore
That’s true that.
lmao@Landon-si5xc
@Landon-si5xcshut up
@Landon-si5xcCan Allah powerslide???
@Landon-si5xcStop spreading misinformation about "religion"
the STIG stories never get old
@Landon-si5xc you must love that disney movie!
@Landon-si5xcStop spreading misinformation about "religion"
Its funny because he was the only main presenter that didn't have constant word vomit spewing from his mouth. I loved his appearances and especially his cousins. Having one person who said nothing and just drove is what secured his position on the show, it was so important to have someone other than the 3 doing the hot laps
Such a huge part of car culture and branding for these manufacturers. Great stuff Ben.
@Landon-si5xcStop spreading misinformation about "religion"
I could listen to the Stig tell stories all day.
I remember when he set that blistering lap time with the Nissan GT-R. Judging by everyone’s reaction I don’t think anyone expected it.
That is because it was a rigged car, before that lap the Stig drove an imported GTR around the track privately which had a tune and exhaust and a couple of other mods, did a 1:26 laptime was on the GTR forum at the time.
So when the "special" GTR nissan brought with them did 1:19 it was really shocking as it was obviously a "ringer" car which was way faster than GTR's you could buy.
Nissan did the same thing with the early ring records they were not even slightly stock cars, there were videos taken during the testing and the GTR was really loud as it had a racing exhaust on it and a bunch of other mods as they would not let anyone near it to look at it when doing the testing was all secret, its why Porsche called them out for them to get stock cars and do some laps to compare them unsurprisingly nissan shit themselves and would not agree to the race.
They also had telemetry that showed a "stock" GTR did 180mph down the back straight of the ring, when people brought real stock road going GTR's they could not get much better than 160mph.
I would guess the GTR that did the ring laptimes has 700bhp at least to pull that 180mph down the straight, it was faster than the much more aerodynamic Corvette ZR1 of the time which is not possible without a huge power increase.
Motor trend also did something similar posting really impressive 0-60mph for the GTR when it first came out on later to apologize that they were using a "special" GTR that ended up being crushed as it was not road worthy, had 600bhp+ they tried to play it off like they did not know any better but it was just BS, sad thing is journos know they do this but if they complain they don't get to test cars so they just lie instead.
@@ATomRileyA none of that is true.
@@ATomRileyAIs this the first gtr lap? Wow interesting. How can it do a 1 26? That is so slow.
The ring time stuff certainly is@@moneyblade5
@@ATomRileyA Stop making shit up, nisssan literally released the full video of the car doing the lap (and its on youtube even now ffs) where performance can easily be compared to a stock car AND showed the tires used even. If there was a hint of cheating they would have been caught out decades ago. You have no actual evidence for your claims and your claims are complete bullshit
Crashing the Koenigsegg was probably the best thing that could've ever to have happened to that company especially since he listened and made changes
While Tesla sued top gear for saying cars overheat. I know which manufacture I respect more
Not really, their cars are still bad at handling corners, they crashed 3 times at the Nurburgring while attempting lap times
koenigesegg never gave TopGear another chance to drive their cars. poor sportsmanship if you ask me.
Yes they did.
@Landon-si5xcalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala
I've been fortunate to meet Ben Collins at Goodwood Festival of Speed and he is an exceptional guy, very humble, incredibly knowledgeable and an all round cool dude! I'm sure he has enough stories to keep us VinWiki fans hooked!
@Landon-si5xcStop spreading misinformation about "religion"
So many great laps, but seeing that SLR go around gave/gives me goosebumps! What makes it even better is finding out how close the real car is to how it has been portrayed through racing games. It will often be one of the fastest cars available, but actually being able to wrangle the lap times down is like playing Through the Fire and Flames on Expert. What a mad mad car!!
@Landon-si5xcwakeup
this is exactly why racing drivers make better reviewers than journalists, they know exactly what they are talking about. That's why my 3 most trusted sources on cars are Ben Collins, Tiff Needel, and fanchracing
Journalists are good at writing. Drivers are good at driving. Unsurprising result, and a thing people need to keep in mind more often.
Tiff needle is the gold standard for me. That’s also one reason why I trust evo’s reviews almost exclusively - many of their writers race or used to race at a decent level, even if they’re not pro (Henry Catchpole, Jethro Bovington, Richard Meaden, John Barker, Steve Sutcliffe, previously Chris Harris).
@@ASJC27 exactly exactly exactly. only car media worth taking seriously. except chris harris he's off his rocker. and not to forget, best of them all, the big man Harry Metcalfe!
Ben Collins is a amazing storyteller and has what seems unlimited amounts of material!
You should read his stories from when he was an SAS Soldier
Just got to love how he took a dig at whistlin diesel
Agreed.
I mean..... How hard can it be?
Sounded like a shout out to me.
@j0sh707 that's what I was thinking.
You know you've arrived when the OG Stig is talking about you.
Which part of the video?
One of the best I've seen on VINwiki. I remember every single one of those episodes of TG and wondered about some of them. Great follow-up Sir Stig!
HAHA THE STIG JUST REFERENCED WHISTLIN DIESEL
“Some Say” THE STIG was the best thing that ever happened to Top Gear.
It's been said, and I'll say it again. I could listen to stories from Ben all day long. With that kind of reputation, and the things he has seen and done.... I'm sure he could go on for days, and I would listen to every minute.
I could listen to Ben talk about his time at Top Gear and cars all day.
Some say..
Thank you Ben for giving us all a taste of what it is like to be the STIG! I am so happy you have taken the helmet off and can give us these stories.
The memories this man has made for us is awesome. Thank you for the memories and sharing some stories!!
I LOVE the fact that The STIG watches whistling diesel!
Thankyou Ed - so much fun hanging - so the hot laps continue and been getting my hands on ever faster machinery! th-cam.com/video/DnC1SuhmJU8/w-d-xo.html
I’m not Ed, but thanks for being on the show!
Thank you! Ben is the best VINWiki guest. Period. He is a legit driver; not a hype man, or a sales person milking everyday stories.
I wonder if that Mercedes had the same braking system as an 05 E55 AMG. The brake by wire system that would eventually fail and leave you with no power brakes, only manual. That braking system provided 0 feedback.
I love hearing stories and insights into cars from Ben! Absolutely fantastic
Yes it’s interesting to get his view on an early Koenigsegg, and it is amazing what that 1 man start up company has done in less than 20 years, I think what at least 2x having fastest car in the world, they even make there own rims now, most tiny companies buy parts/engine from others. Cool to hear the owner even flew in and wanted to find out what really happened. That’s prolly why he’s one of top in world. Imagine the stories the Stig has after testing top cars for over 20 years!
More Stig stories!!! He's one of the best that you have on VinWiki.
Hammooooooooonnnd
That can all go and fish
I love it, and wholeheartedly agree
The hype for the white Veyron to hit the track in stiggys hands was real. I was so pumped to download the episode off of limewire that Monday afternoon after work.
Yeah, and instead of the Episode you ended up with Tranny Prons or CP and a Virus.
The most insightful VINWiki video of all time. Atta boy Stig! You are a legend!
Wow, that Veyron costed 10-20k per lap factoring in tires fuel and extra’s
Ben absolutely nailed the Stig walk and Stig stare. In the pic of him with Cruise and Cameron, he looked like The Predator.
Kind of an odd reference to throw in Whistling Diesel but I'm sure he'll be stoked to have The STIG name dropping him lol
The fact that Ben can recall some peculiarities of a car/event from memory with such precision as if it were yesterday is amazing.
Not everyday you get to drive that stuff to the limit...even if you are, The Stig.
I love his take on the newer NSK and he’s right. The Robo cars can go fish!
Never thought I would hear the stig make a whistling diesel reference.
Ed, THANK YOU for being so well connected. We don’t deserve you 😂
i could listen for hours to Ben. he s a living legend with stories for dayz!
That last comment is so true. A proper, mechanical connection to the throttle, steering, box and brakes is unbeatable and its sad its going away.
I was always so excited for the power laps, thank you for all of the great memories, Ben!
Imagine the lap time improvements for some of the cars tested in the early 2000s if they put modern tires on them. What would the new time be for the Carrera GT, MC12, Zonda, SLR...
Love how technical this guy is. He’s like me when I drive doesn’t matter if it’s a z06 or a 26ft box truck
I never expected a Whistlin Diesel reference 😂
Legend. You guys are killing it. Thanks for this incredible episode. I wish it was longer. Cool to see you at Amelia!
Mr. Collins is so articulate about describing these iconic vehicles
It's insane how far koenigsegg came in just this time frame. From a sorta scrappy, back of the shed, but still really fast, prototypes, to the absolute ridiculous marvels of perfected engineering they put out today
I’ve watched TG with my brother throughout it’s entirety. Kinda got away from it but also have watched all of the GT. This is the first time I’ve seen the real stig talk about his real drives, lol. This guy is a legend forever. My brother and have done amateur road racing all over and now own and run a high end automotive customization shop. And I give a lot of credit to where we are to TG. Cheers.
Another Ben Collins classic. Ed you should make this man a Vin Wiki ambassador. Wicked video!!!
Glad to hear someone talk about Praga
A Whistlindiesel reference from the STIG, thats super cool
Love Ben's stories :-)
Better known that most F1 drivers and has brought untold joy to millions around the world.
The Ferrari he scratched the side of hasn't it actually been a 360 CS? I think I remember Clarkson showing the tyre mark on the side of the car.
Finding out that the stig watches whistling diesel is crazy it's like worlds colliding
Ben is a legend for everybody who grow up with top gear and he always will be the Stig
The stig is my hero, and he encapsulates everything i would ever want in my dream job, thank you for living my dream....
Superb video. I really enjoyed listening to some of the vehicle specific details.
Ben Collins is perhaps one of the most iconic drivers of all time, and he did all his talking on the track.
The fact that Ben Collins knows who WD is, is hilarious
Just got to love how he took a dig at whistlin diesel. The Koenigsegg was memorable for all of us!.
"Put a wing on it"... for a fraction of a second, I expected him to go "Allll the single daddies! All the single daddies!" right after...
What I find amazing is how seriously the car manufacturers took the top gear lap. Also all the celebrities took it very seriously even Mansel.
There will be a particular power to weigh ratio where it is just golden and will do what's needed hold where it has to and just be epic. Surely someone has worked that out
Stig has been my hero. Absolutely love Ben.
Pagani did a slightly dodgy lap when they put hand cut slicks on their road car.
You know whistlindiesel is loosing his mind that the stig knows who he is lol also these videos should be in the millions of veiws!!
The new Koenigsegg I could just look at for hours. The carbon valve covers and pieces are insane.
Great to see Ben's still doing well, love hearing the 'behind the scenes' stories of these amazing cars. 🤘
@Landon-si5xc 🤮
I kinda wanted him to also talk about the Sesto elemento lap
That wasn't him. He left after series 15, the Sesto Elemento was series 20
@@DoMw94 oh
Sucks that the SLR wasnt put round by the Stig. It speaks to how unconfident in it Mercedes were. We know the brakes werent a great feel, but to not let Stig take it round speaks volumes.
If the Stig can let it all hang out with the XJR, he could have easily done the same in the SLR without breaking a sweat. Mercedes really shot themselves in the foot as the SLR's reputation never recovered
What an amazing interview. Very entertaining.
I clicked here to see if the stick would speak, now I'm seeing his face. Life is complete.
Great interview. Thankyou
Your excitement got me excited for the Praga Bohema
Wow what a high quality and densely packed 12 minutes! So good
2:59 haha that makes me think y'all need to get whistlindiesel on here
Ok so it's confirmed. The Stig was masked because sometimes the manufacturer wanted their own driver. I honestly thought most manufacturers would want this, but it sounds like this guy got to drive most of them.
Something i figured but didn't know, maintenance and sustainable extreme use. I prefer gravel or dirt,i like a little to play with and $$ for gas. Nice video, Thanks
10:24 My 2002 Prius has fly-by-wire front brakes, the technology is not even close to new.
The Koenigsegg laptime was the lap I remember the most. It was the most iconic imo
I dont think ive experienced anything quite as fun as hitting stuff in a car intentionaly. Or just intentionaly destroying cars in general. Whistlin is living the life 👌
My favorite Top Gear power lap had to be the Ariel Atom V8 just such a light fast car.
Judging by what he's saying, I see confirmation in my thought modern Bugattis are sort of "one-lap-wonders", they can do ok for one lap, but all of that weight and power will wear off quickly fuel and tyres. Also, all-wheel-drive gives them quite (a lot of?) an help...
I wouldn't compare them with other super-/hypercars, they're more like pure "halo-projects" the Volkswagen/Audi Group use to enhance their credentials - But I'm not particularly attracted by that kind of conception. I prefer the "Old-School", lightweight experience.
Wonderful nod to KB at @1:53 😃
Whistlindiesel catching strays from the stig 😂
The Stig is one of my favorite superheroes
I'd like to hear him talk about his race at le man with the diesel BMW he did for top gear
"That can go and fish." 👍😂
Stig would be irreplaceable for me, its good to know he still filming with cars and I gonna follow him
1:51 RIP Ken, I remember this episode well 😢
My hero! Your the man Ben! 👊
That Praga looks nuts. I want one.
"Yeah, whatever Broadbent. I'll get you next time!"
"When the car is twitching at the steering wheel, or beeping at you, or interfereing with the braking--that can all go and fish." - Ed Bolian.
Maybe self driving cars need a "Stig Mode."
Maybe self driving cars need a "Stig Mode."
and button labeled "crap your trousers time"
THIS IS THE NEW KOENIGSEGG WITH THE TOP GEAR WING : 1:17.6 A NEW LAP RECORD, ISNT THAT BRILLIANT? IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT WERE NOT JUST TESTING CARS ANYMORE ON THIS SHOW, WERE DESIGNING THEM. AND ON THAT BOMBSHELL...
Re-watching that Bugatti SS lap with this details. Wow. 😮
thank you vinwiki! and ben!!! u saw some videos of the praga, it does infact stick to the ground
a fast lap on the Nordschleife was as important as a fast lap at Dunsfold for advertising
Nothing beats the Caterham lap for me.